Workflow is the automatic routing of documents to users responsible for working on them. It is utilized most commonly for business processes, as a way to provide information required to support each step of the business cycle. The documents may be physically moved over a network or maintained in a single database with the appropriate users given access to the data at certain times. Triggers may be implemented in the system to alert managers when operations are overdue. Automated workflow allows documents to move along at a prescribed pace and ensures that the appropriate people process them in the correct order.
When designing a workflow, it is often advantageous to test out the workflow to ensure it works properly and efficiently. Scenarios can be created to define document-based choreography and simulate the behavior of trading partners. These scenarios may then be applied to the workflow to test its functionality.
Scenarios may be created using a scenario manager. Scenario managers in the past, however, have only been single user solutions. They only have the ability to create documents, send them out, and wait for a response. There is no intelligence available to simulate entire business processes.
What is needed is a solution that allows for simulation of potentially complex business processes in their entirety.